The Potion Master's Daughter
by Bazile
Summary: This is the story of the life of Elizabeth Snape. Christmas fights and a terrified toddler. Mild, non HPSS slash hinted at. Nothing explicit. This is my first fanfic so please read and review. Mild OOtP spoilers. Now a slight AU.
1. Disclaimer and Author's Note

Disclaimer: If you think that I own Harry Potter.A) you've been living under a rock for the past five years or so and shouldn't be reading this story. And B) I've got this bridge up in Brooklyn that I would like to sell you.  
  
Author's Note: I've been toying with the idea of this story since the end of November. I have most of the story, an idea for a sequel, and a few spin- offs in my head, but I'm just now getting the courage to sit down and type it up and post. This is my first fanfic, so please review and tell me what you think and what I can do to improve it. This story is about Severus Snape's daughter(hence the name The Potion Master's Daughter) and will be mostly be told from her point of view, but I will probably switch around to other people just because at first the point of view of a toddler is boring and hard to follow and later to give other perspectives. A good portion of the characters are outside characters but I will try not to have any Mary Sue's. And no, Elizabeth is not me. I think that she would be a Gryfinndor, while I am more of a Ravenclaw. On a side thought, has anyone been able to get into any house other than Slytherin or Gryfinndor on the WB site? No matter how many times I switch my answers, I'm always sorted into one of those houses. Oh well. I'm getting off on a tangent, so please keep reading and enjoy my story. Chapter 1 should be up shortly. Bazile 


	2. Infancy

September 10, 1980 Severus put one last kiss on his dead wife's lips and picked their sleeping daughter up from his mother in laws' arms. She had been named with his wife's dying breath. Elizabeth Joy. "Baby girl," he whispered, "Live up to your name. It means God's promise of happiness. We need some happiness." With tears streaming uncharacteristically down his face, he turned and walked up the aisle of the small chapel at Septimus Hall away from the open coffin.  
  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
  
Halloween, 1981 "Poor dear. She's all worn out. Did you go to every house in Bellfoy?" Laura Bellfoy looked up at her son in law.  
  
"Not quite. We tried, but she was getting tired. She might have lasted longer if Lilly had been here with her son. But." Severus trailed off.  
  
"Yes Harry. How is he doing? I'm sure hiding doesn't suit him."  
  
He was fine last time I saw him, but that was a couple of weeks ago. I had a letter from Lilly a few days ago. She said that maybe she could let Harry and Elizabeth go trick or treating here next year. She said that Harry has been watching their fireplace and calling for Bet."  
  
The baby stirred. "Rey? Daddy, where Rey?"  
  
"Shh, he's at his house with Aunt Lilly and Uncle James. You'll get to see him soon. He said to tell you that he misses you." Severus' face scowled as he referred to James Potter as "Uncle James." Why did Lilly marry that. that thing. Lilly had been Amanda's best friend, but having his daughter call his worst enemy uncle was one thing that he couldn't stand. At least after "Anly", her second word had been Daddy before she learned Rey and UncJay.  
  
A small hand tugged at his hair. "I wan see Rey an' Anly."  
  
"Soon sweetheart. What?" He looked over at his mother in law who was unsuccessfully trying to stifle a laugh.  
  
The older woman finally laughed out loud. "I merely was amused by the grimace on your face when you called James Uncle James. Sevie, dear, the two of you really need to work out your differences."  
  
"Mama, there's not a chance in hell that that will ever happen."  
  
" 'Ell," a small voice echoed.  
  
"Sevie you've got to watch your mouth around her or she's going to have a worse mouth than Amanda by the time she's two."  
  
"I happened to find Amanda's dirty mouth amusing. You would have never have expected such bad language to come out of such a cute, innocent face."  
  
"That is precisely why you shouldn't have eight sons and only one daughter. They pick up all the bad habits." The red head shook her head.  
  
"I'd better be getting my hellion home. She needs to go to bed." He looked at his watch. "It's already 10:30 in London."  
  
"I'll see you this later. Will you be coming over for lunch tomorrow?"  
  
"No, we can't. I already told Narcissa that we would come over for dinner."  
  
"Next Sunday?"  
  
"We'll be here. Goodbye Mama." He bent down to hug Laura."  
  
Laura put a kiss on his cheek before picking up Elizabeth. "Give Bellfoy some sugar sweetie."  
  
Elizabeth kissed her grandmother's cheek. "Wuv 'ou Bellfy."  
  
Severus threw some floo into the kitchen fire. With Elizabeth in one arm and a bag of candy in the other he stepped into the large fireplace. With a yell of "Lexy's Flat," he disappeared.  
  
Later that night Severus sat straight up in bed. Elizabeth was screaming. He grabbed her bathrobe and went to her room.  
  
"Anly! Annleee!" Elizabeth screamed and flinched in her bed. "NO, NO, NOOOOOO!"  
  
Severus picked her up out of the crib. "Shh. it's okay. It's just a bad dream." He carried her back to her room.  
  
"Daddy?" Tear stained eyes looked up at him.  
  
"Hmm?"  
  
"The bad man came,"  
  
"Uh huh,"  
  
"An', An' rat man."  
  
The rat man. Who's the rat man. "Yeah,"  
  
"Bad man put green light on UncJay an' on Anly an' on Rey. Bad man gone. Rey scared.  
  
His one year old dreamed of Voldemort Avada Kedavring Lily and James and their baby. How did her mind come up with that? He laid her down on his bed and climbed in beside her.  
  
"Sweetheart, I'm sure that Lilly and James and Harry are fine. It was just a dream. It's not real. It's pretend."  
  
Elizabeth looked up at him. She clearly didn't believe him.  
  
"You can stay here with me. I won't let the dreams come back."  
  
With this promise she fell asleep. Severus lay there and stared at the ceiling.  
  
" 'Manda," he whispered into the darkness. "What am I supposed to do? Lizzie, she dreamed about the Dark Lord killing Lilly and James. I don't know what to do. You would. I wish you were here. I miss you." With wet eyes that he would swear if asked were not tears, he glanced at his clock. 12 a.m., November 1, 1981. 


	3. Of Birthdays

I know, I haven't updated in forever, but I've been busy with school. AP exams, regular exams, scholarship apps, etc. For some reason my mom thinks those come first. That and I couldn't figure out how to start this chapter off. I had the ending worked out but no beginning. I finally decided to totally scrap the beginning, and just start in the middle. Hopefully I'll be posting more regularly now that school's out. I graduated last Saturday. :Bazile gets up and does a happy dance:  
  
Jan McNeville: Thanks for clearing that up. For those of you reading this, go check out her story The Student in Question. If you haven't read it, it's awesome.  
  
This is dedicated to Anonymous Kate for being my first reviewer. Thank you.  
  
September 7, 1983  
  
"Addy ih it esent ime et?" three year old Elizabeth asked through a mouthful of birthday cake.  
  
"Swallow please. I can't understand what you say when you talk with your mouth full of food," her father admonished.   
  
"Besides the food is yucky looking, swirling all around in your mouth," added her cousin Draco. Elizabeth swallowed her food and stuck out her tongue at Draco.   
  
"I said, is it present time yet?" She spoke slowly as if she was speaking to an idiot or a small child.  
  
"Don't you get an attitude with me. Birthday or not, I can still spank your butt. But yes, it's almost present time." Severus smiled over at his daughter.  
  
Severus' best friend Chip Granger laughed. "You know, that would have been a more effective admonishment if you hadn't smiled at the end."  
  
"And just when did you become an expert in childrearing oh childless one."  
  
"When you and Amanda named me godfather to your child. I wasn't a Ravenclaw for nothing. When I was given a new task, my first response was to research. And my research says that it is the godfather's job to spoil the child and to sympathize on how evil the parents are with the child. If you lecture her, and then smile and try to make her feel better, what am I supposed to do?"  
  
Severus snorted. "That's odd. I thought your job was to take over my job if I ever became incapacitated."  
  
"Severus, Chip." The two men looked guiltily over at Severus' sister Narcissa Snape Malfoy. "Could you please act like adults and not like first years, please?" She glanced over at her son Draco and her niece, "Need I remind that there are children here, who you ought to be setting a good example for." She spoke in a no nonsense voice.  
  
"Yes mother dear," said Chip.  
  
"Yes, we are very, very sorry. We promise that it won't happen ever again." Severus pouted at his sister. Narcissa laughed.  
  
Elizabeth tugged on her father's robes. "Daddy, me and Draco are done. Can I open my presents now?" Eyes as dark as his own met Severus'. Who could resist such a sweet little face?  
  
"It's Draco and I, and yes you may open your presents now."   
  
Elizabeth made quick work of opening her presents. From her Aunt Narcissa and Draco, and her Uncle Lucius but he thought that attending the birthday of a toddler that only involved a few people pointless, she received the newest book by Alana Sunan called Cassie goes to France. Grandmother Snape had sent her two sets of robes, one in blue and one in purple. Her godfather, "Uncle Chip", gave her a set of toy bludgers and beaters clubs, a set of toy quaffles, and a toy snitch. When Severus protested, Chip said, "You were a seeker, 'Cissa and Lilly were chasers, Amanda was a beater, and I was a keeper. I'm just trying to see who she takes after." Severus only snorted.  
  
Papa and Bellfoy, her mum's parents, sent her a card with a note saying that they would give her her present when they saw her on Saturday. But the best present of all was the toy broomstick that she got from her dad.  
  
"Daddy, a broom. For me?" Her mouth was wide open in shock.  
  
"Sweetheart, shut your mouth. It makes you look like a fish." Elizabeth complied.  
  
Draco giggled. "It's a lizard breath fish."  
  
"Draco Severus Malfoy, do not insult you cousin on her birthday," warned his mother. "And Chip, before you say anything, he may not insult her on other days either." Chip hung his head. That had been exactly what he'd been about to say.   
  
"Yes Elizabeth the broom is for you. Would you like to try it tonight?"  
  
"Please oh please oh please."  
  
"We'll need to go out to the quidditch pitch. Narcissa, are you coming?"  
  
"No, we need to get home. Somebody needs time to wind down before he has to go to b-e-d."  
  
"Bed, b-e-d spells bed."  
  
"Mummy, I'm a big boy. I'm almost four. I don't need to go to bed." Draco made puppy dog eyes up at his mother. Narcissa sighed.  
  
"Severus, did you have to teach her to spell?"  
  
"I can't help it that she's intelligent."  
  
"Happy Birthday sweetheart." Narcissa leaned over and hugged her niece. "Come here Draco, we need to leave." She pulled a bottle cap out of her purse and tapped it with her wand. She took Draco by the hand and the two disappeared.   
  
"Chip, you up for toddler quidditch?"  
  
"I'm always up for quidditch."  
  
"I thought Ravenclaws were supposed to be studious."  
  
"Somebody has to be on the quidditch team." Severus laughed.   
  
"Come here, Lizzie." The threesome (AN get your minds out of the gutters people.) had reached the pitch.   
  
Severus squatted down beside his daughter. "Okay, I need you to put one leg over the side to the broom."   
  
"Okay, grip the handle. No not like that." Severus repositioned her hands, "And kick off from the ground."  
  
Elizabeth kicked off. Her feet hit the ground.  
  
"That's okay. Touch your feet in when you kick off."  
  
Elizabeth kicked off again and touched in her feet. She landed on her knees.   
  
"Something wrong with the broom. It's not responding to her magic."  
  
Chip stood up from his spot on the grass. "Is it possible…"   
  
Severus cut him off. "No, there's something wrong with the broom." It sounded like he was trying to convince himself. He picked Elizabeth up and grabbed the broom from the ground.   
  
"It's okay sweetheart. I'm gonna get Madam Hooch and Prof. Flitwick to look at the broom. We'll find out what's wrong with it and then you'll be flying in no time."  
  
"Severus, are you sure that she might not be…"  
  
Chip was cut off again. "No, there is something wrong with the broom." Under his breath he added, "There has to be."  
  
AN: sorry for the cliffy… but I need to post, and this was a good stopping point. The next chapter should be up in the next couple of days. I promise. 


	4. And of Squibs

Yes, I know that I suck. I could make excuses, but there really isn't any point, other than the fact that I'm a lazy procrastinator. There, now that that's over with, here's what's been going on with me since this was last updated. I spent the summer working, and I started college at Appalachian State in August. I've also celebrated my eighteenth birthday and I am now legal here in the good ol' US of A. Order of the Phoenix was awesome, and well worth the wait. I can't believe that she killed off Sirius. Also do to OOP, parts of this story are now AU. The main ones that have come up so far, is the fact that Narcissa Malfoy is obviously not Severus' sister, and that the Snapes are not as wealthy as those of us here in fandom have tended to believe. So, in later chapters I'm going to work out how the Blacks are related to the Snapes, and well, in this story the Snapes are wealthy, mainly because I say so.  
  
Lunaria: Thanks for both of your reviews. Sorry that I didn't see your review before I posted last time. I read Bianca. Ironic that my story is a variation on one of the ideas that you discarded.  
  
Jan McNeville: Severus would like to believe that there's something wrong with the broom, but your question is answered in this chapter. On a side note, one morning while I was driving to work, the radio station did they're daily segment called "Stupid People in the News" Apparently, sometime late last Spring, in a British museum, some school children broke a piece of fossilized "Viking poop" that was in the museum's possession. The museum then had to glue said "poop" back together. The reason that I thought that this might interest you, and anyone else reading this who has also read your stories, is that the name of the person having to put the "poop" was Julie Snape. I got this really funny picture of your Julie, bushy hair, Snape nose and all, having to glue back together the poop. Poor Julie.  
  
Elly: Thanks for letting me know that. I did go and try again, but it still put me in Gryffindor. Maybe I'm just more Gryffindor than I think.  
  
Rosael: Glad that you are enjoying the story. Didn't the rain just suck? I don't know where you live, but I'm from Wilmington, and it rained just about every day from July 1 until I left for school at the end of August. I guess it's just the joys of living in the South. I'm not sure where you got the idea that Elizabeth is actually Hermione, but I'm glad that you caught the connection between Chip and Hermione. It won't show up for little while more. In order to not spoil it, I won't say anything more here, but if you're interested in knowing more about that, e-mail me at Bazile2oo3@hotmail.com, and I'd be happy to tell you more.  
  
September 14, 1983  
  
A week had passed since the disastrous night on the broom. Severus had given the broom to Madam Hooch and Prof. Flitwick first thing Thursday morning. He had asked them to look for any jinxes, curses, hexes, a forgotten charm, anything that could have prevented the broom from flying properly. Toy brooms weren't like real brooms. They only skimmed about a foot off the ground, and they would work for anyone who was magical even if they hadn't "sparked" yet. Elizabeth hadn't sparked yet, but, as Severus told himself, many children didn't spark until they were seven or eight. She still had plenty of time.  
  
Severus twirled the mashed potatoes around on his plate. The headmaster had asked to have a word with him after dinner. He wasn't quite sure why he was so nervous. While Albus Dumbledore was a man that held his utmost respect, and was the greatest wizard of the twentieth century, he was not someone, unless you were the Dark Lord, to be feared. But still, he felt like a first year who had just been caught brewing illicit potions in the loo. He had known the man since he was eleven years old. He had worked for him for the past year and a half. Dumbledore had apparated into his apartment two days after Voldemort's defeat and had asked him to take over as the Potions teacher and the duties of Head of Slytherin House from Bede Figg. He and his wife Arabella had been assigned some sort of duty watching over the Potter boy.  
  
The meeting, Severus told himself, did not necessarily have to be about Elizabeth's broom. Yes, surely, he wanted to talk about lesson plans, or maybe he wanted to order new furniture for the Slytherin common room. Or it could be to discuss how the Slytherin Quidditch team's prospects for the year looked. Maybe he wanted to put on a school play and wanted him to direct it. His mind was rolling with reasons that Albus would want to meet with him other than to talk about Elizabeth.  
  
But Flitwick, Hooch, and McGonagall kept giving him pitying looks, like they knew something bad that affected him but no one had bothered to tell him. Maybe he was going to be fired. His mind leapt to that as a good thing. Being fired was infinitely more welcome than being told that Elizabeth was a, no he wouldn't even think that word. She couldn't be. He wouldn't allow it. Yes, he was going to lose his job. Somewhere Amanda was out there laughing at him. If she were here, she would be calm and would be announcing that they would get through this. He was not an optimist. He wasn't a Gryffindor or a Hufflepuff for a reason. He was a pessimistic Slytherin with a few Ravenclaw tendencies for a reason. He tended to see the worst in every situation. He wasn't sure what he would do if she was a you-know-what. Damn he needed Amanda. He sighed and stood up.  
  
"Lizzie, are you finished?"  
  
"Yes, sir. Why?"  
  
"We need to go back home, Charlie Weasley has a detention tonight and I need to talk with Professor Dumbledore."  
  
"Charlie has a detention. Yayyy!" Elizabeth was bouncing up and down in her chair with excitement. "He's fun!"  
  
"Yes," Severus agreed.  
  
"Severus,"  
  
"Yes Minerva." He turned to look at his former professor.  
  
"Have you ever considered the fact that any of the students that you assign detentions to whenever you need a babysitter, would gladly watch Elizabeth in exchange for a few sickles or for House Points. You do realize that you are the only one to assign detentions to Charlie Weasley, Aneice Trivette, Lara Winkler, and Carmen Valade."  
  
"Yes, Minerva, I really must be."  
  
"Do you not realize that they have never received a detention from anyone but you?" the elderly witch pressed on.  
  
"That does not bother me." Severus took his daughter by the hand and left the Great Hall.  
  
After getting Charlie Weasley settled with Elizabeth, and making sure that he remembered the rules, bed by 8:30, no sweets before bed, no more than one story once she was in bed, no going visiting or inviting friends over, and no using the floo except in emergencies, Severus set off through the halls of Hogwarts for the headmaster's office. He knew that he worried too much, but dammit, Lizzie was all that he had left. No one was going to hurt her.  
  
He had reached the gargoyle that guarded the headmaster's office.  
  
"Blood pop," he muttered as the gargoyle jumped aside. Severus climbed the spiral staircase and knocked once on the door to Dumbledore's office.  
  
"Severus, come in. Sit down. Would you like a cup of tea?  
  
"No thank you."  
  
"Sherbet lemon?"  
  
"No Albus. What was it that you wished to speak to me about?"  
  
"Severus, Fillius and Xiomara couldn't find anything wrong with Elizabeth's broom."  
  
"There has to be something wrong with that broom." Severus' voice was cold as ice. " It didn't work. Obviously something was wrong with it."  
  
Dumbledore stood up and walked over to a short table. He picked up an old, leather bound book, and walked back over to his desk. He flipped through the pages, stopping close to the end. He turned the book around so that Severus could read it.  
  
"Severus, look. This should explain everything." Severus looked down at the book.  
  
"Malfoy, Draco. October 19, 1979. Brown, Lavender. November 12,1979. Finch- Fletchly, Justin. November 29,1979." His eyes ran down the list, and he flipped the page. Names jumped out at him. "Parkinson, Pansy. February 17, 1980. Weasley, Ronald. March 4,1980." His eyes kept going. He flipped the page again. "Longbottom, Neville. July 29,1980. Potter, Harry. July 31, 1980." He scanned down to the bottom of the page where he knew Elizabeth's name shoul, no would be. "Thomas, Dean. August 27, 1980. Boot, Terry. September 1, 1980. Zambini, Blaise. September 4, 1980. Granger, Hermione. September 19, 1980." He looked back up the page. Elizabeth should have been between Zambini and Granger. Her birthday was September 7, 1980. No, her name wasn't there. The book went from September 4, to September 19. There was nothing in between.  
  
"Albus. There is something wrong with your book. Elizabeth's name is not in it."  
  
"Severus. When Fillius and Xiomara could not find anything wrong with the broom they came to me and asked if they could check the registry book. Naturally, I agreed. Severus," Dumbledore sat down his teacup and looked Severus in the eyes, "as much as it pains me to say it, Elizabeth is a squib."  
  
Severus stood up. He picked up the book and threw it across the office.  
  
"That is impossible," he snarled. The Snape family can be traced back generations as purebloods. And despite the fact that Amanda was American, her family's as pure as any here in Britain. The Bellfoy's can be traced back to the founding of Jamestown, and despite the fact that Lucius will never admit it, until then the Bellfoy's and the Malfoy's were one and the same. And no one has ever questioned that they are not pureblooded."  
  
"Severus. No one has questioned whether or not Elizabeth is a pureblood. But the fact remains; she's a squib. I know this is difficult. And I am sorry, but there is nothing that can be done."  
  
"Albus, how the hell can she be a squib? What have I done to deserve this? Isn't it enough that I lost Amanda, do I have to have the life of my daughter destroyed as well? Do you have a single bloody clue as to how squibs are treated?" He didn't even wait for a response. "They're treated like shit. Like they're second class citizens. The only jobs available are those of servitude. That's not the type of life that I want for her."  
  
Severus took a deep breath. "Headmaster," he said in quite, cold voice. "I should not have raised my voice. If you'll excuse me, I shall see you in the morning. Good evening, Headmaster." He turned and walked out of the room.  
  
Dumbledore shook his head, and picked out a new sherbet lemon. "Severus my boy," he said to the empty room, "you have got a long road ahead of you.  
  
"Mr. Weasley, your detention is over. You may leave."  
  
"Professor, Elizabeth was."  
  
"Mr. Weasley, when I said that you might leave, I meant for you to do it. Now, get out," he snapped.  
  
"I'm sorry, Professor. I'm leaving." With that Charlie ran for the door.  
  
As soon as the door closed behind Charlie, Severus sat down on his couch an bawled like a baby for the first time in three years. 


	5. Freak Child

AN: I'm ba-ack. Amazingly enough, I've managed to get this chapter out in about a month. Aren't you proud? I am. I had hoped to have it posted last week before I went home for Fall Break, but they wouldn't let me stop. Hopefully, I'll be able to have the next chapter up before Thanksgiving, which for you non-Americans is the fourth Thursday in November and is November 27 this year. So, sometime within the next month. There is a slight bit of slash hinted at in this chapter. Nothing explicit, but if even the mention of it offends you, you might want to skip the last paragraph. Otherwise enjoy.  
  
Elf Girl: Thanks. I hope you enjoy this chapter as well.  
  
Rose Blossom: Thank you. You can't see Snape crying? Don't worry. He won't be doing anymore any time soon.  
  
magicrules: Thanks, and here's the update that you wanted. Hope this makes you happy.  
  
Katharin the Dragon: Thanks for the review. And don't worry, I may be slow, be attached by plot bunnies, and held hostage by my characters, but I will continue. Do not fear. And I sound really retarded now. Oh well.  
  
falafelgigglehiney: Thank you very much. I'm glad that someone finally caught on to the not subtle hints (my English teacher got on me for that last week, something about giving things away too early) I left about Elizabeth and divination. She won't be a seer exactly, but it is important. Draco isn't going anywhere, and Harry and co. will show back up eventually. I'm not currently planning to skip ahead to seventh year, but after this chapter I'm going to be moving in larger chunks. Feel free to borrow ideas. I do. If you're like me, you find an idea, and then can't remember where it came from. As it's not word for word my story, I'll share. And hopefully I'll be updating more frequently.  
  
December 26, 1983  
  
Elizabeth ran down the hallway at Septimus Hall giggling trying to escape from her cousin Draco. She could hear the angry voice of her Uncle Lucius yelling at her father. She stopped when she heard her father say her name.  
  
"Elizabeth will not be going anywhere. She is my daughter, and as such she will remain with me." Her father's voice was cold and short. It was the voice he used when he was extremely angry and was trying not to lose his temper.  
  
"Severus, she cannot remain here. She should be put out of her misery. It's not natural. If you won't do it yourself, I will be more than happy to do it for you."  
  
"Lucius, if you lay one hand on my daughter, I will kill you."  
  
Outside in the hallway, Elizabeth was shaking. She didn't understand what was going on. Why would Uncle Lucius want her to go away? If she didn't live with Daddy, who would she live with?  
  
"You're it!" Draco had run up behind her and tapped her on her arm. She shuddered; she hadn't seen him run up. Draco didn't seem to notice that there was something wrong with her (AN: yes even preschool aged males (for those not familiar with the term, that's approximately ages 3 to 5) are afflicted with the symptoms of a Y-chromosome), and he ran down the hallway giggling. Clearly thinking that she would be chasing him.  
  
The yelling from Lucius and the cold, clipped tones were still coming out of the cracked door of the library. Elizabeth was frozen on the spot. She made no effort to chase Draco like she normally would have done.  
  
This was how her grandfather, Augustus Snape, found her five minutes later. He bent down and picked his only granddaughter up.  
  
"Sweetheart, what's wrong." Elizabeth had buried her head in his chest.  
  
Before she could say anything the raised voice of her uncle echoed through the ancient hallway.  
  
"Dammit, Severus. Have you listened to a goddamn word that I've said? You should put her away, go find yourself a proper English wife, and have yourself as many normal children as you want. Hell, have as many children as the Weasleys. At least their children are all normal instead of being a muggle freak." The last part was spat out.  
  
"My daughter may be a squib, but she is neither a muggle, nor a freak. And I have no intention finding myself another wife. Amanda is the only woman I have ever wanted. Just because you don't find yourself attracted to your wife, doesn't mean that I wasn't in love with Amanda. It's not my fault that you would rather have..."  
  
"Severus, Lucy, that is enough." The clipped tones of Augustus's deep voice caused both Severus and Lucius to turn and look at him.  
  
"Father," Severus acknowledged.  
  
"Gussy, you must know that I'm right. Surely you agree with me?"  
  
"Lucy, we will discuss this later." The normally easy going Snape patriarch was serious. The conversation between Severus and Lucius was over for the time being.  
  
"You scared Elizabeth. The both of you should be ashamed of yourself." Severus and Lucius looked at their feet. Even though Severus was a grown man in his twenties and Lucius (AN: I know that according to OotP, Lucius was 41 in 1995, but for this story, I'm going with the idea that Lucius is old enough to be Narcissa's father. Hey, I'm a member of WIKTT. I have no problems with large age differences.) was the same age as Augustus, he was making them feel as if they were children.  
  
"Did you even realize that she was out in the hall?" Elizabeth buried her head even further into her grandfather's shoulder. She was rubbing tears and snot all over the top of his robes.  
  
"No, Father."  
  
"No, Gussy."  
  
"Well that much was obvious." (AN I believe that this is an indirect quote from CoS. I may be wrong, but I think that that is what either Snape or McGonagall said after Harry and Ron hit the Whomping Willow.)  
  
"Father, give her to me." Augustus handed his granddaughter over to his son. Elizabeth hid her face in her father's robes. It was as if she was deliberately trying no to look at her Uncle.  
  
"Now it's almost time for dinner. Severus, Elizabeth is going to need to be cleaned up. Your mother will be most unhappy if she is untidy. And Lucius, I'm sure that you would rather change before dinner as well. Severus, I would like to speak with you after dinner. Until then." Augustus turned and left the room. Severus, still carrying the teary-eyed toddler, and Lucius silently followed him out.  
  
~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~  
  
Early the Next Morning  
  
"Lucy," murmured Augustus into the cold, still darkness, "don't worry about Severus and Elizabeth."  
  
"He was acting like a child, Gussy. Even you could see that."  
  
"As were you. Yelling so that anyone could have heard you. You terrified the poor child. I found her outside the door to the library shaking. I also noticed that at dinner she refused to look at you. She didn't smile once the entire meal either. And she is generally a happy, easy-going child."  
  
"Something has to be done. Do you even realize that Elizabeth is currently Severus's heir? She can't inherit. And what kind of life will she be able to live? Squibs are lower even than mudbloods. You know that as well as I do. It would be better for her if Severus were to do away with her now. Spare them both a load of embarrassment and humiliation."  
  
"Lucy, I am not an idiot. I know what the social status of squibs is in our society, and I know that she and Severus will no doubt be forced to suffer from embarrassment and humiliation. But that is Severus's decision to make. And she can inherit. Wizarding law says that female squibs may inherit if they marry a wizard and give birth to magical child. And besides, more than likely Severus will remarry, and he will have other children. But as of right now, he has no desire to marry anyone. It's only been three and a half years since Amanda's death. He's still grieving. Elizabeth is his only connection to Amanda. Let the boy be."  
  
Lucius snorted. "Bullshit. I don't give a damn if he's still grieving. He needs to get over that American twit, forget about her American relatives, get rid of the brat, and start over. Surely Lucretia could find him a suitable wife. Surely there's some witch out there from a suitable family who would take him, and bear him some normal brats."  
  
"You know that Severus will not do that. I spoke with him earlier. He's planning to send her to live with Amanda's parents when the time that she ought to start Hogwarts comes along. He's not planning to take out an ad in the Prophet announcing that she's a squib. Everything is going to be fine. You'll see. Goodnight. I'm going to sleep." He kissed his lover firmly on the lips, rolled over, and promptly went to sleep. 


End file.
